taint

1
[ teynt ]
See synonyms for taint on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a trace of something bad, offensive, or harmful.

  2. a trace of infection, contamination, or the like.

  1. a trace of dishonor or discredit.

  2. Obsolete. color; tint.

verb (used with object)
  1. to modify by or as if by a trace of something offensive or deleterious.

  2. to infect, contaminate, corrupt, or spoil.

  1. to sully or tarnish (a person's name, reputation, etc.).

  2. Obsolete. to color or tint.

verb (used without object)
  1. to become tainted; spoil.

Origin of taint

1
First recorded in 1325–75; conflation of Middle English taynt, shortened variant of attaint “struck, attainted,” past participle of attainten “to convict” (see attaint), late Middle English taynt “hue, tint” (see tint), from Anglo-French teint or directly from Latin tinctus, equivalent to ting(ere) “to dye, color“ (see tinge) + -tus suffix of verb action); and teinte, from Late Latin tincta “inked stroke,” noun use of feminine of past participle of tingere

Other words for taint

Other words from taint

  • un·taint·ing, adjective

Words Nearby taint

Other definitions for taint (2 of 2)

taint2

nounSlang: Vulgar.
  1. the area between the testicles or vulva and the anus; the perineum.

Origin of taint

2
First recorded in 1955–60; casual pronunciation of it ain’t (the one or the other), i.e., it is the area in between

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use taint in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for taint

taint

/ (teɪnt) /


verb
  1. to affect or be affected by pollution or contamination: oil has tainted the water

  2. to tarnish (someone's reputation, etc)

noun
  1. a defect or flaw: a taint on someone's reputation

  2. a trace of contamination or infection

Origin of taint

1
C14: (influenced by attaint infected, from attain) from Old French teindre to dye, from Latin tingere to dye

Derived forms of taint

  • taintless, adjective

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